The aptly titled Strange Cargo is both strange and carries a mixed cargo of entertainment nuggets for the casual viewer. It begins as a prison yarn, skirts the boundaries of a religious epic, and ultimately winds up a story of redemption for the hero, Andre Verne. As portrayed by Clark Gable, Verne is tough and cynical; not to mention lecherous and self-serving. His conversion is never convincing but how it comes about is both unexpected and unusual for a studio picture from the era.
Verne is a tough con who is locked up on the infamous Devil's Island, territory that would be trod in further depth in Passage To Marseille with Humphrey Bogart and to a more realistic degree in 1973's Papillon starring Steve McQueen. He is constantly trying to escape; so often that he makes the penal colony look like a ramshackle hotel rather than a brutal work camp. During one of his escapes he is replaced in the prison lineup by a mysterious man who calls himself Cambreau and who seemingly materializes out of nowhere. Verne crosses paths with a dance-hall tart named Julie (Joan Crawford) who fires his interest and her scorn. She turns him in but is herself ordered off the island for having spoken to the convict in the first place; apparently this is a serious no-no. Ultimately Verne joins a prison break that includes Cambreau and he later enlists Julie into the group by some plot turns that will leave a viewer scratching his head. From this point the story switches gears and becomes a story of redemption as Cambreau helps the evil convicts discover the good in their souls before they die off one by one. Julie falls for Verne and he for her although Julie takes it one step further by renouncing the wickedness in her life while failing to persuade Verne to do likewise. After Julie goes off on her own so Verne can escape to America he has an epiphany and returns to prison to finish off his sentence before marrying her.
This is the final Crawford-Gable picture and while Crawford assumes top billing (as she always did) Gable is the real star of the film. Hot on the heels of his success in Gone With the Wind he was at the zenith of his popularity while Crawford was on a downward spiral. As Verne Gable is his typical self: cocky, tough, and faithless. While his character comes across as a smug bastard there is no denying the actor's virility and star power. When he is on screen he wipes nearly everyone else off in a fierce display of animal magnetism. Crawford matches him in wisecracks but her subtle underplaying makes her conversion to the righteous life more convincing than his. There is a sadness and weariness to her performance that suggests her character has lost her way in life and is looking for some method of finding herself again. This she does through the mechanizations of Cambreau and it is a tribute to her acting talents that she pulls it off.
The supporting cast is uniformly good; Peter Lorre is loathsome in a stereotypically slimy role as the prison stooge while Paul Lukas is chilling as the evil Hessler, a murderer of rich women. However, it is the performance of Ian Hunter as Cambreau that is the gem in this film. There has been debate about who Cambreau is and to be sure the movie doesn't come out an say it but to me it is obvious he is Jesus Christ. He has come to redeem Verne and along the way to provide a righteous path for the other characters in the picture. As played by Hunter the character is saintly without being sappy and inspirational without being corny. His interplay with Hessler on several occasions is extremely interesting and one wishes the film focused on this more. Hessler is referred to as the devil on more than one occasion and in the end he is the only one who does not succumb to Cambreau's powers of persuasion. In their last confrontation Hessler comments on how they may cross paths in the future; Cambreau replies in no uncertain terms that they will never meet again. Clearly Hessler is headed South for eternity.
Strange Cargo is an interesting movie from a studio system era that was reluctant to take chances with its stories. Here is a film that covers a lot of ideological territory and does so energetically while retaining the star-making essence of its two leads. On top of this you have a supporting actor stealing the film with a masterful portrayal of Jesus in a modern setting. Enjoy
Verne is a tough con who is locked up on the infamous Devil's Island, territory that would be trod in further depth in Passage To Marseille with Humphrey Bogart and to a more realistic degree in 1973's Papillon starring Steve McQueen. He is constantly trying to escape; so often that he makes the penal colony look like a ramshackle hotel rather than a brutal work camp. During one of his escapes he is replaced in the prison lineup by a mysterious man who calls himself Cambreau and who seemingly materializes out of nowhere. Verne crosses paths with a dance-hall tart named Julie (Joan Crawford) who fires his interest and her scorn. She turns him in but is herself ordered off the island for having spoken to the convict in the first place; apparently this is a serious no-no. Ultimately Verne joins a prison break that includes Cambreau and he later enlists Julie into the group by some plot turns that will leave a viewer scratching his head. From this point the story switches gears and becomes a story of redemption as Cambreau helps the evil convicts discover the good in their souls before they die off one by one. Julie falls for Verne and he for her although Julie takes it one step further by renouncing the wickedness in her life while failing to persuade Verne to do likewise. After Julie goes off on her own so Verne can escape to America he has an epiphany and returns to prison to finish off his sentence before marrying her.
This is the final Crawford-Gable picture and while Crawford assumes top billing (as she always did) Gable is the real star of the film. Hot on the heels of his success in Gone With the Wind he was at the zenith of his popularity while Crawford was on a downward spiral. As Verne Gable is his typical self: cocky, tough, and faithless. While his character comes across as a smug bastard there is no denying the actor's virility and star power. When he is on screen he wipes nearly everyone else off in a fierce display of animal magnetism. Crawford matches him in wisecracks but her subtle underplaying makes her conversion to the righteous life more convincing than his. There is a sadness and weariness to her performance that suggests her character has lost her way in life and is looking for some method of finding herself again. This she does through the mechanizations of Cambreau and it is a tribute to her acting talents that she pulls it off.
The supporting cast is uniformly good; Peter Lorre is loathsome in a stereotypically slimy role as the prison stooge while Paul Lukas is chilling as the evil Hessler, a murderer of rich women. However, it is the performance of Ian Hunter as Cambreau that is the gem in this film. There has been debate about who Cambreau is and to be sure the movie doesn't come out an say it but to me it is obvious he is Jesus Christ. He has come to redeem Verne and along the way to provide a righteous path for the other characters in the picture. As played by Hunter the character is saintly without being sappy and inspirational without being corny. His interplay with Hessler on several occasions is extremely interesting and one wishes the film focused on this more. Hessler is referred to as the devil on more than one occasion and in the end he is the only one who does not succumb to Cambreau's powers of persuasion. In their last confrontation Hessler comments on how they may cross paths in the future; Cambreau replies in no uncertain terms that they will never meet again. Clearly Hessler is headed South for eternity.
Strange Cargo is an interesting movie from a studio system era that was reluctant to take chances with its stories. Here is a film that covers a lot of ideological territory and does so energetically while retaining the star-making essence of its two leads. On top of this you have a supporting actor stealing the film with a masterful portrayal of Jesus in a modern setting. Enjoy